


Forbidden in more ways than one

by FairyAscending



Series: (Natsu x Freed) Tender Feelings [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Moving on?, Not Beta Read, maybe not, not a native speaker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 05:04:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11548047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyAscending/pseuds/FairyAscending
Summary: If you see someone who is clearly suffering you have to help right? Especially when this person is a guildmate and comrade. Right?Friends are friends no matter what. You want them at your side and you want to support them. If they leave you want them to come back...does wanting your wayward friend back make the whole thing evil?





	1. Lone Fairy

Natsu was in a bad mood. It had only been a few days since the Oracion Seis ordeal and since little Wendy Marvell had joined the guild but there was still a matter that just would not leave him alone: The fact that Gramps had banished Laxus just like that. Sure he had made mistakes but who had not? He felt this weird kinship towards Laxus even though the Lightening mage had treated him like dirt most of the time and zapped him on multiple occasions risking is life one time. He did not care about it. He wasn't dead so it was all good! Apperantly there were even others who felt the same way as Natsu did but the old man had not even bothered hearing them out. The old man had claimed that it was all for the good of the guild and that punishment had to be served in this case but Natsu couldn't figure out how everybody being unhappy about it would benefit Fairy Tail in any way, to save his life.  
It was not only that though. Natsu clenched his fists as he thought of it. The sad wave that washed over him everytime he saw the three members of the Thunder Legion. They had been the closest thing that Laxus had ever had to friends and in return Laxus had been their guidepost. And now? Now they were left alone and while Natsu could see that they were trying to open up he could not deny the sad wave that washed over him everytime he crossed paths with them in the guild. The sad vibes especially came from the longhaired rune mage. There were so many things that he still did not know about his three guildmates but feeling this sad wave come from Freed especially made Natsu wish to be capable to help the rune mage.

"Natsu...is something wrong?", he heared the voice of his flying feline friend ask next to him.

Natsu simply shook his head at the question but he knew that it was a big fat lie. No one else seemed to notice the sadness coming from the three members of the Thunder Legion maybe except for his fellow Dragonslayers. Maybe it was really something that had to do with his enhanced senses or mabye no one else save him had noticed it. It really was saddening.

"Nothing Happy...just doin' some thinking.", Natsu whispered in confirmation of the earlier statement made.

"YOU'RE THINKING? YOU NEVER DO THAT! BE CAREFUL, YOU MIGHT HURT YOURSELF!!", Happy screamed.

"Oh shut it!", Natsu growled but it had a fond tone to it.

Whatever went down he could never be truly mad at his little buddy. Sure they bickered but in the end they would always make up and they'd do so without Erza forcing them into it. Sometimes they needed a push in the right direction, something Lisanna often used to do for them, but that was about it. They continued to the guild in silence. Natsu almost stopped dead in his tracks as they entered the guild though. He really could feel the sad vibe this time as if one big black cloud was hanging from the second floor. Freed was already there. No surprise given the fact that the older man was an early riser but he could already pick up the assumptions of some members that the greenette had been here since the sun had risen.

"Mornin' Freed.", Natsu yelled in his direction before sitting down next to him at the bar.

"Good morning Natsu. How are you today?", Freed returned the greeting politely.

It was just that moment where Natsu realized that he had made a mistake: This vibe of sadness, this one metaphorical black cloud hanging in the room...it did not come from the entirety of the Thunder Legion. It was the emotions that Freed had been so despratly trying to surpress. Apperantly he had even done it for a very long time. His fach told Natsu more than words ever could. Especially the smile that he gave Natsu after he realized that the younger man had spoken to him. It looked stained with dishonesty, so much like a cover up, so...forced. It was something that should never be seen on a member of Fairy Tail. The guild was supposed to be a safe place from the outside world but Freed made a face like it was the exact opposite.

"I'm all good. Just need to get some food into me. What about you? Plannin' to head out today?", Natsu played along since he could not openly confront Freed about it right now.

He knew it from dealing with Gray that a person like Freed would NOT open up if he went about it this way...but how else was he supposed to go about that?

"I am undecided about that right now. I am still waiting for Evergreen and Bickslow to listen to their opinions about it."

At the end of the sentence Freed's voice was drowning in a whisper. Natsu only nodded at his statement even though he wanted to pry the reason for that sadness out of the elder one. Mira brought Natsu and Happy their breakfast and even though the younger man was eating like a pig, a statement that was kindly supplied by Gray and Natsu was so going to make sure that he would get a thrashing for this later, Freed did not leave the spot next to Natsu even though he did look a bit disgusted by the young mans horrible table manners.  
At this moment a new person entered the guild: Lucy Heartfilia. She barely seemed to notice anything and was instead talking to little Wendy Marvell and her flying cat Charle while sitting down at the bar next to Freed. As Mira came to take both of their orders though, Lucy suddenly turned towards Freed instead of giving Mira an awnser.

"Look Freed, I clearly do not know what you are trying to accomplish here but please stop dragging the entire guild down with your mood! Master was is the right when he banished Laxus and no ammount of wallowing is going to bring him back or make the master change his mind. You should be grateful that you escaped a punishment so easily because if it had been me that would not have happened. You should count your blessing instead of wishing for something so selfish!", she said without even taking a breath.

A hush fell over the guild as Lucy stopped ranting. Brawls seemed to stop mid-air, conversations ended abruptly, one person even started choking on his booze. Natsu had stopped eating as soon as Lucy had exploded in the middle of the guildhall but before Natsu could say anything Freed rose up in the blink of an eye his gaze fixated onto the bar counter. 

"I...am truly sorry that I made you feel this way.", he whispered.

His voice now sounded like a perverted mixture of sadness, disappointment and...anger? Emptiness? Or maybe even resentment towards the Celestial Mage? Natsu could not quite put his finger on it but the looks on some people's face told him that apperantly Lucy had clearly overstepped her boundaries in their eyes. Freed on the other hand looked like a wing-plucked fairy right now and before anyone could say anything to defend him or attack him even further which depended on the feelings of the person you asked, the greenette made his way out of the guildhall as quickly as possible.  
His once again long hair looked like a green flame as he left the guildhall and as Natsu took a closer look he noticed the proof he needed to back his mental claim up: Thick glittering pearls were flying into the direction of the bar. Wonderful! Lucy's words had apperantly caused the rune mage to cry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...this concludes it for now. Hope it did not start out too rocky. Bound to happen with me when I write a new fanfiction. Still...I hope I could draw some of you guys in...if this was really the case then I'll see you next time.


	2. Dragon Warmth

"Jeez Lucy was that really necessary? He looked like he was about to cry...", Happy mumbled, sympathy for the leader of the Thunder Legion evident in his voice. 

"It wasn't. He has been trying to cover this up for a long time but the banishment of this guy is clearly causing him pain.", Wendy added in a similar tone to Happy.

Having recently gone on a job with Freed she knew this all too well. She had never met Laxus Dreyar but she knew that he was the masters grandson and that he must have been an amazing person in his own right because it seemed impossible for such a nice man to make friends with him otherwise. She did not know Freed long enough to have a proper opinion on the matter but he had seemed upset on this job and had screamed this name into the rain...Laxus. The next moment though Wendy flinched as Charle gave her a special "You-can-not-be-serious"-look that was reserved for times when she simply could not understand what Wendy was thinking or doing.

"Well this does not really matter in this situation child. If he truly broke the rules then the feelings of Freed do not matter much. Punishment has to be served.", she said then.

"You see? This was excatly what I was saying. Not only was the master in the right but Freed was tearing the whole guild down with his gloomy mood! It was about time that he pulled himself together and moved on with his life!", Lucy ranted.

"Well...how would you feel if one of the people you feel close to would vanish one day and you would not even know if you ever saw that person again?", Gray questioned.

"Well it can't be helped! Don't you remember what happened at the Harvest Festival? How they forced us to fight each other, how Bixlow pummeled you? How Laxus nearly got the entire town killed with Fairy Law or the whole thing with the Thunder Palace? Did this just slip your mind somehow?", Lucy ranted on.

"Well so what? We are all still here! It's all good! No reason to harp on anyone or kick anyone out!", Natsu groaned.

"This may sound a bit simplified but all in all the Fireclown's not wrong. I can't believe I just had to say that...", Gray added and turned quieter with each word.

"Aye.", was all Happy could contribute to that.

"It does not always work this way tomcat! Some things just can not be so easily forgotten without ever facing the consequences! I do not know this man and I am fairly certain that I do not want to find out what would have happened if the Fairy Tail guild had kept him around after the crimes he comitted!", Charle shot back.

"While you do have a valid point, you also must consider the points of view of the people who have been here since childhood. The people who have known and seen Laxus. The people who still wanted to keep him around despite the way he acted towards them. His guildmates...his friends. They still feel affection and kinship towards Laxus and want him to come back...and with Freed it is a special matter entirely: Laxus was probably the first person that has ever been remotely kind to him...his first friend in a really long time. It is wonderful to have friends...they pick up the pieces when you are down, support you. They are always there for you and in return you do the same for them. It is not a sin...wanting to be there for your friends. Weren't those words yours Lucy? When you save Loki from his fate to vanish in front of Karen's grave?", Erza demanded to know.

Nobody had really seen her come in but Natsu was sure that he had never been this happy to see her in his entire life. Someone as scary as Erza was very convincing at times like that. Even though she had not opposed Laxus banishment, she did not write off the arguments of those that did and that was more then enough for the Dragonslayer right now. He did not want to argue with Lucy right now and when it came to this kind of stuff, Natsu had serious doubts that she would take him seriously. On the day he had found out about the fact that Laxus had been exiled and had refused to believe it, Lucy had told him that it was the truth and that he had to accept it no matter how harsh it seemed to him.

"That was different Erza! Loki was framed for something he had no control over. Laxus did the things he did intentionally and now he has to face the consequences! I can't just let him walk back into the guild like nothing has ever happened!", Lucy almost yelled.

"This is your choice.", Erza spoke calmly. "Natsu, Gray and many others in this guild chose differently and you have to respect that."

"Natsu?", Erza turned to him after ending her sentence.

"Yeah?", Natsu asked.

"Go after Freed. It should be no problem for you to find him and I think he could use someone to talk to. Someone who is not involved with the Thunder Legion.", Erza said, debunking Natsus idea to ask Evergreen or Bickslow when they turned up.

Natsu knew what happened if you refused Erza's wishes and he wanted to help Freed as well but they were not really friends and the idea that he was more likely to open up to his teammates had crossed Natsus mind more than once but then it hit him: He was their leader. He was the leader of the Thunder Legion and determined to be strong at all times. Never letting his own feelings pin him down.  
Natsu only gave a nod before he made his way towards the door. All he could still here was a loud "Wait for me!" which obviously came from Happy. He was chasing after his friend with his wings buffed out. After stepping out of the guild Natsu made his way into the first direction that crossed his mind. Searching for the greenette turned out to be a pain in the neck though. There were crowds of people already out and about so it was difficult for Natsu to even pick up the slightest bit of Freed's scent. 

"Hey do you see him from up there Happy?", he yelled up to his friend who had taken to the sky to search from above.

"No...this place is just too crowded. It's going to be nightfall before we find him...maybe we should just return to the guild. It's possible that he returned.", the blue cat suggested.

"Nah, I don't think so. I would much rather be alone after something like what just went down. He has to be out here somewhere.", Natsu denied.

"Hey, maybe we should try the Southgate park. You know...where they said goodbye. It's possible that he has gone there.", his feline friend spoke up again.

Natsu only nodded and broke into a jog in the right direction. He knew the way to the Southgate park like the back of his hand. Right now Freed reminded Natsu of himself when he had just lost Igneel. Their situations were quite alike. So much that their roll actually could have been reversed. Freed the Dragonslayer who had lost his father and Natsu the Thunderlegions leader who just wanted his wayward friend to return and the master to forget it all. There were so many paralels between them...sadness, the lack of understanding, uncertainty.

"Hey Natsu, stop!", he suddenly heared Happy.

"Huh? What's...", Natsu started but he never got around to finish the sentence and his expression softened quickly.

It turned out that they did not have to go all the way to the Southgate park to find Freed. On the way they had passed the spot by the river where Natsu and Gray had often fought as children and where the children of the guild had often run off to to cry. In this spot now sat a slender young man huddled up and face burried into his knees. The long green hair and the small lightening bolt strains were unmistakeable in this town. Natsu walked down to Freed in an unusually ginger way.

"Freed...", he whispered and tried to make his voice sound as soothing as possible, which caused Freed to raise his head.

"Contrary to what your friend said, it is not Laxus departure in its own that bothers me...it is just...this hasn't been the first time something like this happened and those events are my fault entirely. I am the one to blame for my misery.", he murmured then.

"What the...?", Natsu tried to rant but the elder man was not done yet.

"Laxus has done wrong by the guild. He deserved to be punished...this time things were beyond my control and it would have been sacrilegous to protect him. Still...I want him to return. I want him to be back with us so we can once more laugh together. I...want my friend back. Still...it is a betrayal towards the others and they know that and like to remind me when...I am like this. Mira did what she could to stop them from doing so until I asked her to refrain from it. I was given a second chance and I might not be given a third. Being able to stay in Fairy Tail was already more then I should ever wish for...wanting Laxus to come back is just something that should not be even thought of...this is a rule...a condition for me to stay here.", Freed went on sadly.

"Those who break the rules will be sumbitted to a fate worse than death."

Natsu gasped quietly at this words. Who else other than Lucy and Wendy's cat had taken part in this stuff? How could they have let Freed fall so far? How could Freed let himself fall so far? He wanted nothing more than to go back to the guild pluck out the members that had said stuff like that and give them a talking to that they would never ever forget. He really wanted to do that but there was something more important right now. Those kind of wishes always lost their meaning when there was a friend in need.

"You should not even think that way!", he forced out since he was still a bit baffled from Freeds words and trying not to sound too upset since that was not really comforting.

"Aye. You should not let that get to you. Lucy's weird anyway.", Happy mumbled sympathetically.

"Natsu...", Freed tried to cut him off but Natsu would not have that.

"He's your friend right? The first one you had in a really long time? Your best friend? You should not feel bad about wanting him by your side!", the younger one yelled.

"Natsu I...", the greenette tried again

"No. Just stop it. What good are rules if they just make you feel horrible? Sometimes rules are just meant to be broken! Like right now! You are a member of Fairy Tail as much as anyone else and you have the right to follow the path you believe in as much as anyone else does! What they said was completely and totally wrong!", Natsu started and with each passing word he yelled louder.

Before Freed could protest, he was sweeped into a warm pair of arms. He let out a gasp at that. It just felt forgein after turning himself away from affection for so long. Natsu really was the epidome of kindness...he tried to hold out against the warmth though. Why did the Dragonslayer do this? Why did he even turn against his friend just for his sake?

"Natsu...please...don't say things like that. Please don't ruin a perfectly good friendship with Lucy on my account.", he whispered sadly.

"You are my friend too! Every member of Fairy Tail is my friend and ally! Now just shut up and enjoy the hug okay?", Natsu cut him off.

The hug was soon amplified by a certain blue cat who had sympathetically cuddled himself to Freeds side. Those two were so kind...he had never really noticed it before. All of this sadness he had held back for so long was threatening to pour out all at once now.

"Natsu...I...I...I'm...", the greenette stuttered his voice sounding hoarse.

"S'alright. You can cry now.", Natsu whispered in a comforting voice and tightened his hug.

Another wave of warmth washing over him.

A gasp.

A sob.

And cry he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...this is it for now. I am still new to the Archive but I think I'll make a series out of this. Hope I can count on you guys to keep on reading. And to make one thing clear: I will not apologize for my portrayal of Lucy. I am not too fond of her. Well then...bye.


End file.
